Solar Panel Theft Solutions

[UNG]

Trying to help out one of my customers who keeps on getting the PV panels stolen from one of his business premises which has a low roof making the panels easily accessible. As I maintain the intruder alarm he is asking me for some security ideas
So the questions, are there any systems out there that can monitor PV panel connectivity and trip an alarm if some panels are removed during the night or are there any fixing systems that are more difficult to remove than the standard fixings or a method of adding a wire restraint to the panels making it more difficult to take them

 

[buzzlightyear]

Yeah tell him at the end of the day is rig up some live wires like a cattle farm nobody going to touch it again.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Cameras would be first gut option, motion detection linked to smart phone or alarm system

 

[snowhead]

An alarm or monitor would be a waste of time and money.
By the time anyone gets to the building the thieves will be long gone with the panels.
Making the fixings harder to remove would just mean the thieves will come better prepared next time.

There has to be a point where the cost of replacing the panels or adding extra security exceeds the income from the panels making it pointless replacing them.

Cameras don't deter thieves nowadays, if you look at some of the video of car thieves they just smile / laugh into the cameras and Ring door bells.

 

[UNG]

Cameras would be first gut option, motion detection linked to smart phone or alarm system

I have considered using covert cameras and / or a visible alarmed dummy to trigger an alarm in an attempt to deter the thieves

An alarm or monitor would be a waste of time and money.
By the time anyone gets to the building the thieves will be long gone with the panels.
Making the fixings harder to remove would just mean the thieves will come better prepared next time.

There has to be a point where the cost of replacing the panels or adding extra security exceeds the income from the panels making it pointless replacing them.

Cameras don't deter thieves nowadays, if you look at some of the video of car thieves they just smile / laugh into the cameras and Ring door bells.

The intention of my post was not looking for negative comment but trying to find out whether there is kit already available within the solar industry to monitor a loss / theft of a panel or panels that could be integrated into other systems
To that extent your useless post offers nothing constructive having spent 30+ years involved with the security industry I know many if not all of the pitfalls but I have also gathered evidence on a number of sites that has resulted in quite a number of convictions over the years, I find when you start thinking like a thief you generally get the best results and solutions.

The panels export little or nothing back to the grid as it is virtually all used on site by the other energy saving solutions that are in use so given the current trend of rising energy costs it makes sense to have a fully functionin PV system

Overt cameras haven't been a deterrent for many years generally I use overt dummy cameras backed up by other covert equipment which generally gets better results

 

[James]

have you considered the sounder box they have in electronics stores where a cable is stuck on the back of a demo phone or laptop.

they may well have a relay output you could link to the intruder alarm.

failing that, araldite a short piece of 20mm conduit on the back of each panel
run an alarm cable through each of the tubes in series and enclose the end in an adaptable box.
they have got to cut or break the cable to remove the panel.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

pressure pads would be an option, could be placed under felt/tiles, they work same as most sensors either open or closed circuit
you can get external sensors - see them at car dealerships a lot covering the vehicles.
you could potentially rig up some door contacts, one part on frame other on the panel. they are concealed out of site but cut the wires or lift panels then they will trigger the alarm.
I recall a few years back there was that smart water/dna marking spray that people rigged up on church roofs, lift the lead you got covered in fluorescent glow in the dark dye that lasted weeks.
If you have a look at a lot of the security stuff for church roofs there are some clever solutions to stop / deter people stealing the lead.

Roof Commander

Roof Commander

www.trace-in-metal.com

 

[plugsandsparks]

Not aware of solar invertors being able to detect a broken string at night, otherwise you could use the alarm output from the invertor. The comment above about running a super tamper circuit across the panels from alarm system would be cheap and could be disguised with the output plugs on the back of the panels which they would need to cut to remove.
That said if you do find an off the shelf solution i would be interested also

 

[JD6400]

For the alarm side you could run a tamper line through the spare fixing holes on the panels fed from a 12 v transformer linked to a no volt panel relay .
But it would not take a great deal of knowledge to overcome this.

The best thing you can do is drop an appropriately sized ball bearing into the Allen key head of the bolt used to secure the clamp that holds the panel down on to the rail , and give it a good tap with a hammer.
The only down side is getting them off if you ever need to service a fault on them .

I am pretty sure Segen was selling the correct size ball bearings for one of the makes , only a few years ago ?

 

[littlespark]

A mesh of barb wire fixed above the panels?

Spikes where any thief would have to stand to access the roof?

 

[Spoon]

Id personally go for a 2 prong approach. Have a PIR covering the roof that the panels are on, that lights up the roof and sounds an alarm and also mess with the fixings so that they are hard to take off, like the above ball bearing suggestion.